Mining Through the Unformatted Data in Healthcare

To say there’s an overwhelming amount of healthcare data available is an understatement. In fact, it might just be the mother of all understatements. There is more data than we can conceivably consider trudging through in a single lifetime, let alone those of generations to come. And if that’s not enough, there’s a steady flow of more coming in.

So how do we mine through this abundance of information – information that’s in no particular format?

With the help of computers. Even with machines this may not be an easy task. But, with the help of specifically written software, computers can sort through numbers at lightening speed, turning them into something useful. Set up much like online software analytics, algorithms allow computers to recognize specific patterns – most importantly, those that indicate danger or the onset of sickness.

For instance, say a patient appears fine, but has elevated blood count levels, has been sleeping more frequently, and was diagnosed with a new strain of influenza last year. By crunching other patients’ data, the computer can tell us what sicknesses this patient is susceptible to, and whether or not those few symptoms are anything to look out for.

The Nitty Gritty

As for the data mining itself, all that’s required is for doctors to input their information. Though they make take diligent notes, the data is useless without computer intervention; once the numbers and software have a chance to meet, infinite perks can be had.

If it were left to humans, numbers would come in faster than they could be analyzed, inevitably useless finds. But with software that is constantly upgrading, users are able to create progressive, positive results from the files they already keep.

Ready to learn more? Head to our Case Studies page to see healthcare analytics in action.